


Edeniel

by Escritora2Aliasfox



Series: The end came [2]
Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 10:49:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8664745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Escritora2Aliasfox/pseuds/Escritora2Aliasfox
Summary: "People used to have many names on Earth" Aziraphale told it once "there was the first name, and the family name, and the tytle...oh, and nicknames!""Could i have more?" asked the serpent"Well" he said "it was common to make the name shorter...you could habe been Edeni, for example"





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an alternative ending for the previous work of this series...  
> but truth is it suits quite fine as the only one...  
> what do you think?

The tiny reptil looked wary and confused. It was a newborn after all.  
Aziraphale wiped away a couple of tears from his face and held the little creature closer to himself. Giving it warmth, carasing it.  
A couple of tears splashed on the poor thing’s head, and it looked at Aziraphale questioning.

-Well, hello. Sorry for that, my dear.

A tiny forked tounge vibrating towards him was the only response. It looked so small, so, defensless. 

-Do you have any memory from a previous life?

The little thing took a moment for itself and then yawned* and it was extremly cute.  
Aziraphale laugted and held it close, between laughts and silent cries.  
He stood like that for the rest of what would have been the night, and longer. The little one sleep throu it.  
Then, habing calmed down, he gave it one good look.

It was small, shiny black, with it’s underside spotted in white. One fascinatig detail was its wings: it had wings! They were not like those of an angel, more like those of a dragonfly, but designed with nearly bird like structure**  
As time went throu, Aziraphale noticed that as more he spoke, the little serpent slithered happily closer to him. This was probably becouse it was used to his voice, as it had been listening to it from inside the shell.

Aziraphale wondered if it would need food. He was very carefull to extend his consciense gently, and found a baby consciense doubtfull, but trusting…  
He didn’t find actual hunger in it, but still, fed it with his own energy. (kind of what he had been doing while it was an egg… but then, it cliked. He noticed something that made him cringe.

The little snake noticed, and slithered closer to his face, touching it lightly with its tounge, wondering what was wrong, what had made his angel upset?  
Aziraphale had had a “taste” of the creature’s aura. And it was not Crowley.  
This was not what shocked him, there was more: it did feel kind of like Crowley. It had the features, the smell, the trace of his aura… but it also had some of Aziraphale’s.

This new being had been created out of what was left of Crowley, and a bit from Aziraphale. The thrown away scraps of him, and his love and longing.  
It was the equivalent of an offspring. Born of them both. Blend of them both. A brad new life that was none of them.

Aziraphale crouched forwards and took a long time to asimilate.   
He hadn’t asked for this. He didn’t want it. What was its porpuse? Why was it given to him? Could have God put Crowley back together or this was the only way to give him short of back to Aziraphale? When Aziraphale’s mind was finally coming back around it, he noticed the litle thing hissing at him, and nudging him while curled around his neck. For such a young being, it was terribly worried. This was its very first contact with distress.

Aziraphale had to make a strong efort, but reminded himself that, whatever was the case, the baby snake was not to blame. It was inocent.  
So he held it close and carased it, and instantly noted how it became calmer.  
Bedsides, on its own way, was all that was left of Crowley. and it was undoubtable his.  
Later on, Aziraphale felt a bit akward talking to it.

-…I am sorry. I guess i was hoping you where someone else. …of course i knew i shouldnt have hoped for that, but i wanted it so bad… still is not your fault. I’m sorry.

The snake seemed to look at him expectantly. Then, it would go tired of it and start slithering ditractedly, while Aziraphale kept rambling.

-My! It just ocured to me that you need a name.

(the serpent kept minding it’s bushiness. It either didn’t understand or didn’t mind)***

-Hum… it should be something genderless… and angelic-like. You are a creature from heaven.

The little one turned it’s yellow eyes at him. It reminded him so much of Crowley! he would habe liked to name him regarding the demon, but it seemed inapropiate…****

-You are winged, unless the snakes there were on earth… and you are very precious to me…

He thoug of diferent words that mean “winged” or “sepent” in latin and enochian. He even thoug of a deformation from the latin “volatile” and Crowley’s name. In the end, he setled for something a bit more original, and wich remindd him of his demon, but stil very discretly: Edeniel. It had the equivalent of the angel sruname, and the name of the place where it had been born. Where they had met, where everything started.

Simple, yet meaningfull. He wondered everyone else’s reaction to his choice…  
Actually, he wondered for theyr reaction to the existance of the creature itself!  
Surely he could explain, right? Surely they would take it in, as it was a present from God and Gabriel… right? Still… the poor thing was so small, new, insecure… better…wait. Let it be settled. Right?  
Right.

So, he did not move from his spot, untill Edeniel himself started growing kind of curious of his surroindings, and test the touch of the ground. Then, Aziraphale started walking around carefully, only in the deepest part of the garden, where he felt shielded by expledorous trees. Sometimes carrying the baby on his arms, other with it curling on his neck.  
It seemed like Edeniel enjoyed corners and funny shapes to clib throu. It kept mobing between his fingers, and finding sponts to hide on his robe or even climbing to the top of his head, like holding onto his curls. This was a bitrisky, but it didn’t fall.

Edeniel seemed to be very interested in the trees, and so Aziraphale alowed it to crawl throu the ground and hung on a bush here and there. He kept telling him abouth the diferent plants, and the little one seemed to listen.   
And so time when slowly throu. And Edeniel grew. Not only he turned larger, and his colours more complex (the black had now blue, nearly purple like shines, and the white was turning yellowish) It also grew in attitude.

Aziraphale could be imaginating, but truth is the little thing had a Crowley like temper.   
It liked to hide and not come out, and to sleep, and it demanded atention in a passive way whenever it wasbored. It also liked to tickle Aziraphale with it’s tounge and to listen stories abouth the earth. …and abouth Crowley.

Aziraphale found himself talking of them like a mother tells stories to her children. Whenever he was finishing, or the snake was feeling bored, he would sense on its aura that hunger for words. It was very curious of the many extrange things that had been in this bizard world where Aziraphale had been, and of this other creature who was with him, and was so extrordinary, but he still didn’t know.

Once, Aziraphale sensed a wonderment (that is, the feeling of a question) “where was Crowley? what happened to him?”  
Edeniel could instantly feel Aziraphale’s sadness at the mention. The angel wanted to hold back, but he guessed it was better to be sincere and honest, just… gentle, to the little one.  
Before he could explain, in little words, that Crowley was not allowed into heaven, and had been dismised with the rest of his kind after the end, Edeniel was already curling around his neck, in a conforting way.  
“Was this his purpose, father?” Aziraphale thoug. “…for me, not to be alone?”

Edeniel was still small when Aziraphale dcided he should get back out there pretending a casual walk before they got too suspicious and started searching for him. He tried to convince the snake to stay in the garden, on one, determined spot, and wait for his return. But the little one refused and kept crawling onto his neck and tangling on his hands tightly. Aziraphale felt heartbroken to the idea of leaving it alone in such state.  
Was it worst parenting to allow a silly wimp, or to abandon the kid when he was afraid and insecure?

One day Edeniel climbed up a tree urther than it was supposed to. Aziraphale kept inisting, but it slowly kept teasing its limits, goung up and up, and when Aziraphale stubornly called it just looked down smeling the air with it’s tounge and then kept climbing. It was a naugty kid. Definetly like it’s fahter. (well, one of them)  
This turned to a common teasing. When the snake was on the mood for some playfull mischief it would just climb out of Aziraphale’s reach and permited limits, ignoring his calls.

-That’s it! Young… thing. I am leaving.

The snake looked down, not taking one word seriously.

-I habe been meaning to leave to take a walk and meet the other angels for a while now. And now that you are goingto stay up there playing for a while, i’m sure you won’t mind.  
He turned on his heels and walked away fast. He listened a pleading hiss, but he didn’t turn. He was angry.  
Edeniel tried calling him. It also climbed down the fastest it could. When it lost him of sight it panicked an jumped down from the tree, trying for the first time its wings. (They didn’t make much efort, but it was a good try) Edeniel slithered throu the ground of the garden, hoping to find its angel at any moment, and when that didn’t happen it kept moving, calling. Then it smeled around, and catch nothing of Aziraphale’s possible trace. It was desperate. It was lost.  
Edeniel tried to keep going without much purpose. Sure that it’s progenitor wouldn’t abandon it for real, not with real danger. It was sure that he would come back and find it. But it also was scared, and in the end it cried softly, saying it was sorry.  
In that moment, Aziraphale, who had flew to one tree and had been watching over it the whole time, came back down, and took the child on his arms, conforting it.

-I am sorry, my drearest. But you simply can not behabe like that. You have to be carefull, becouse there may be consecuences of your actions…  
“is this why you let humans to deal on theyr own?” he wondered. “it was just one big parenting issue?”   
Finally they reached an agreement: Edeniel would come with him, hiding on his robe.

-but you will have to be extremly carefull, and never let go of me. Don’t move, don’t make a noise…

And still, he covered his arm with his wing and walked very carefully.  
The other angels saw him from afar, and seemed surprised. Some of them, even did come to ask (and it wasn’t even those two from before)

-I…uh, wanted to sleep. You know. Back on earth i did not sleep much. Good is allways vigilant and all that… but i wanted to experiment it once more, so i fell asleep…and i don’t really control it very well, so i woke up late. …i guess?

He was an awfull liar, but no one questioned him. He was that akward anyways.

-So, what did you dream of?- someone asked. And he just mumbled somethng abouth his memorieson Earth.

He took a short walk, just to get some to know he was still in existance, and then went back to the garden. Asked Edeniel if it was ok, and the little serpent was entusiastic, only sorry it couldn’t look outside.  
So Aziraphale took longer walks, visiting diferent places, and Edeniel dared to crawl higer and take a peek from the neck of the robe.

At some time It asked to fly. Aziraphale refused becouse he feared anything could happen, but the little snake insisted and insisted until, eventually, he did.  
It was a short and low flight (even without time and space) but it wouldn’t be the last, for still it made Edeniel entusiastic. Aziraphale even visited the archives, and was asked to read some of it out lud.  
Later, within the protection of the garden, Aziraphale was entusiastically informed that Edeniel could fly (more or less) and the practice turned into a new common hobby.  
It came in handy to climb up and down the trees. Aziraphale could imagine the species being quite successfull surviving on Earth. If it had had the chance.

Later on, came the big surprise.

Aziraphale was telling the little one abouth humans. He told abouth war, and games. And food, and his expiriences across them. He descrived, for the thousand time, how he had looked like as a man, and Crowley. 

He kept talking after the snake had gone to sleep, as it liked the sound of his words, and once more wondered the purpose of this creature, and of everything.

Was this it? The rest of eternity sitting on a garden on a clud guardin the sleeping humans? He was lucky to have this small element of chaos to speak to, or he could easily go mad. Ok, maybe that was imposible for a celestial being… but he had been so human...

And speaking of humans, he contemplated, shocked, how the snake on his lap started growing , and developing an extrage shape… it developed limbs!!

Its sking grew smoother, and some hair appeared on its head…

Suddenly, the shocked angel had a very human like creature sleeping with it’s head on his lap.

Aziraphale stayed still, his hands trembling. If hehad been breathind he would be choking. So long he stood like that, the little one woke up.

It rised its head and looked at him with those yellow eyes, and it smiled.

It looked like a 2 year old child, or so. With toasted skin, and black hair slightly curled.

Its smile was so broad, so full of life and inocent.   
It had wings, but they where no longer like before: they where those of an angel. 

As shocked as Aziraphale was, Edeniel was thrilled. He laughted and run and jumped flutering its wings and kept holding things with its hands and climbing trees and hunging on the branches with its hands.

Aziraphale knew if he had been human he would be exausted: the kid was a handfull!   
At one moment, it fell from one of the trees and he managed to catch him. In its excitement, the baby didn’t even bother to be shocked, and just smiled at Aziraphale, and embraced him.

Then, it seemed to notice one new posibility.

Edeniel carased Aziraphale’s face, testing the flexibility of his flesh. Then, his hair, and his robe, and his wings! Oh my, Edeniel carassed very group of feathers like wanting to memorice the diferent texture of each kind. Aziraphale teached the little one something new, and kissed its forehead. He had done it before, but the kid was now excited with the idea: It kissed aziraphale on his forehead, chin, lips and cheeks, and the on his head and his wings, experimenting the textures with its lips.

“well” Aziraphale thoug “kisses on the lips where not exclusive for lovers: many parents kissed their children like this”

Later on, Edeniel was lying on Aziraphale’s lap while preening its own, small angel wings, when it fell asleep. He did not know how, or how much, but he was sure this would complicate things.

Edeniel kept turning back and forth and practicing its flying skills. It was willing to be able to fly on its own, on both forms. Aziraphale insisted, that there was no rush.

There is no time in heaven! It would grow eventually, and for now there was no use for its wings… but what could he do against a child’s entusiasm?

Eventually, both grew a bit more confident and Aziraphale started leaving for his walks without Edeniel. The kid was always nearby the tree where he had left him. Usually, hiding to jump on Aziraphale.

It was nice. The angel had passed from depression to casual laughter. He did enjoy playing hide and seek and tickles with his kid. He was happy.

-You glimmer lately- Gabriel smiled at him.-why don’t you participate with the others?

Aziraphale found no interest on playing the harp, sing on chore and chatter abouth the wonder of eternity when he could be singing to his baby. So he just smiled politely to Gabriel, who was confused: the angel was happy, somehow, no matter his odd ways…

Suddenly, in the heart of the garden, a childlish scream broke the peace.

Aziraphale heared its echo, and all his happiness and peace, all his mind, all of him fell onto panic. He instatly flew in the direction of the scream, in terror, and true horror struck him when he saw one of Mikael’s angels flying onto the tree, sword in hand, struggling with his child.

The baby was in a form half way between humanoid and serpent, holding onto the branches with all it had and trying to get away, but was being held back by the cherub with one mighty fist.

No time to think, Aziraphale just tackeld the warrior and pushed him away from the tree. Many angels where congregating around, and saw the extrange creature he was defending, tangled on the branches, crying in panic.

With one gesture of Aziraphale, the snake child jumped down onto his arms and stood there crying, holding onto him. Aziraphale was furious enough to complain first.

-How dare you attack an inocent child in the garden of heaven?

He was already searching for wounds, and healing them, but his baby was terrified and kept crying.

-That is a demon. What is it doing here? How dare you defend it?  
-It is no demon! This was a gift from God wich was handed to my by Gabriel itself. Ask them!  
-Gabriel. Is it true? Gabriel!

Gabriel was shocked. It looked at the child not finding words to say. Aziraphale prayed for him to come to a friendly position. Should he had tell Gabriel abouth the kid?

-…I is true. I had never seen the kid, but i did handle its …egg to Aziraphale, by orders of our father.

A wispering spreaded across the crowd.

-It is a demon! It must be a test…!  
-All children are a blesing  
-It destroyed the peace of heaven!  
-Becouse you atacked him!

They were interupted by one of gabriel’s lower angels.

-he is creating again.

All eyes went to it. It was shocked, but had a touch of bewildrement.

-The plan goes on. We can not know… what is coming…

Aziraphale thanked the ramdom support from someone else.

-That creature interferes with the very esence of heaven!  
-You interfere right now. When you break peace by hate and harm and…  
-Enough! 

The metaton itself* troned its voice.

-This situation will have to be considered.

And with that, no one had permision to interfere, for now.

Some angels rolled theyr eyes, others kept wispering. Gabriel asked.

-Aziraphale. …does the child have a name?   
-…Yes. It’s Edeniel.

Mikael groaned. Aziraphale was left alone scept for some angels who looked from afar. Wispers and chating sprew around heaven. Gabriel came back later to meet oficially the child. Edeniel was exausted and afraid of extrangers, but Aziraphale handled it carefully and Gabriel was expecting anything, really, so if the baby did something reprobable, it did not shoked Gabriel.

Little snake child was afraid of all the other angels for a long time after what happened, thou Aziraphale tried to calm him down and told him stories of how nice some of them where. Most of the angels stood away from them.

One of them, the cherub who had atacked Edeniel came to talk with Aziraphale.

Instantly, Edeniel was hiding under his robe, between his wings, wimpering in his form of snake.

-What is it you want?  
-I have come becouse i am concerned abouth you.  
-And why is that?- Aziraphale finged inocense and casuality.  
-Well, i can see you are atached to that creature…  
-It’s name is Edeniel.  
-…Well. I know you must care for it, but i don’t think is healty. You should leave it alone…at least until the decision is taken.

Aziraphale had held the small hope that this angel came to apologice.

-What decison? Why abandon it?  
-It is ovbious, Aziraphale, that this creature is wrong. It does not belong in heaven, and when it is discussed, it will be dismissed properly. I only come to remind you, just so it is not a shock to you when it happens.

With each word, on Aziraphale’s back, Edeniel shunk and trembeld harded.

-Enough. Edeniel is not a mistake. It was born in heaven and it velongs nowhere else.  
-I understand that you are atached to it, but you really should get aways before…  
-i said enough! Why do you think you can make this choice? Why you…?  
-I was doing my duty, and that of heaven when i tried to smite it! And the higer forces will not hesitate on doing the same.  
-you are wrong. Get away from us before i lose my patience.  
-Now, brother i do not atempt to fight you… but, remember the nephilim… theyr parents where too…  
-Silence!

Aziraphale snaped at it with a menancing cry and pushed him of***** with force enough to send it a good distance, faling harshly on the floor with a nasty bruise.

The cherub looked at him with true fury on its eyes, and left without another word, more ofended than hurt.

the peace of eden itself, had been broken. One hurt cherub, broken and crashed plants, and the cries of a snake like baby where the proof.

Aziraphale walked away just a little bit, to give the impresión that they where no longer on the same dangerous place, and embraced the baby snake.

-Hush, hush, it is gone- he shused it for a long time before it was calm enough to talk.

-you are going to leave me!!  
-No! I would never…  
-You will leave me and then they will smit me!  
-Now, baby it is not “smit” and is not going to happen to you. That i promise.  
-…but…  
-hush. I give you my word.  
-but…but they don’t like me!  
-it doesnt matter. God loves you and they will speak with him and leave you alone.

Edeniel calmed down a bit.

-Never leave me!  
-I promiss.

Time kept passing, and o order was taken. Heaven was slow, but now there was no earth to care for. It was like they where delying this on purpose.

Some angels calmed down, and some even came for visit. To them all, when feeling more confident, Edeniel would ask if they had ever been on earth. Gabriel told it stories and it would never grow tired of them.

Little snake child grew also in size, power and mind. Now with more vibrant colours, that sometimes peaked at red scales on its spine, It liked to clung at high branches and drop fruits like apples on whoever walked under it.  
It also liked to hide between the scrolls at the archive, and jump hissing at the face of whoever was walking by, causing a scare.

A couple of times (just a couple, and only when feeling most anoying and confident) it tangled its body in the feet of an unexpecting walker and caused it to trip.

It earned many harsh words, and even the simpaty of some. Aziraphale belived it only did this things for curiousity: could it push any angel to say something earth like and not so heavenly?

Some angels even starting refering at it as a male or a female, given theyr personal veliefs of each gender’s behaivour. “It must be a male spirit, like that of a roman corupt leader” “No, only a female would be such insolent creature”

As soon as Edeniel had power enough over its form, it enjoyed walking in front of those who spoke of it like “him” with a definitive female body. …and looking like him, when they spoke of it like “her” Aziraphale laughted all of this off. It was just a preteenager.

By the time Edeniel had strong wings, colorfull scales and a human body that was starting to grow hair everywhere, a decision was made:

The creature could no longer stay in heaven, for it disturved its very nature. …But is had done nothing to be punished for… so a new place should be found for it.

And thus, the new Earth was born.

Aziraphale listened in shock while his offspring jumped and flutered all around in joy, like a playing baby horse.

Aziraphale watched worriedly how Edeniel prepared for its last routines on paradise, playing more serious than ever before***** and making triple of all of its jokes.

One of Gabriel’s angels looked up ungrily at the snake, orange juice still sopiling its locks. 

–You are abouth to leave, finally, and now you must trouble us the most?! What an impresión you atempt to leave on heaven!- It shouted, in a very angry mode  
-It’s becouse i am gonna missss you faces, and all of its expresionsss, uncle.

The angel stood looking at it a little bit, and then left.  
Never more a fruit would fall on its head. Never a surprising preasure on its feet, nor a jump around the archives. No more childish laughter sometimes, when walking near Eden.

…It would miss the kid too.

Aziraphale kept thinking “I don’t want you to go. …but you want to leave?” But he dared not to say. He expent the last routines with a woried face, advising the snake of all the danger and troubles of Earth, mabe hoping it would do something to be allowed on heaven? It didn’t work. As entusiastic as Edeniel was, triple it was the emotion, while consuming Aziraphale’s advices like they where his beloved stories…

At last, Edeniel came to the border of paradise, stanting at the edge of a cloud. Before leaving, Aziraphale carased it’s hair, meking it look the bes for the ocasión, for it was last time he would see it, at least, from this close. Edeniel embraced its father, so strong, so tight, and with its yellow eyes shining with emotion. Then, it walked to the edge, and turned into a snake.

And what a snake! With its head on high, it was tall as a camell, with all of its colours shining brigtly, and a crest of impresive feathers and spikes. Its own way of looking good for the ocasion. 

It looked down onto the sky, with the wind and the sun rays, and the wide earth far below, spotted on diferent tones of green, golden and brown, and the waters small and big here and there. It then rised its head to release a bird like mighty growl, and it jumped, and flew at wimp, as fast as it could, like once, Crowley used to drive.

Aziraphale listened to the echo of its shrieks far on the distance, and already missed its hissing. “It will be hungry, and cold, and lonely…and it will face many dangers and trouble it never knew of…” But he told to himself, that Edeiel was a mighty creature, and it was joung and willing to test itself and experiment the earth and make some stories of its own.

And so, the eden was paicefull once again. Still Aziraphale did not stay on Eden anymore, but at the border of the cloud. Awaiting, contempling, just standing alone.

After a while, (years, by Earth standars) God walked up to him and stood by his side once again. He contemplated the world too.

-You are not happy here on paradise.  
-I am not unhappy anymore.  
-but you could be happy.

Aziraphale looked at him. And viceversa. And he knew. He just knew.

With a kiss, and a blow of his father, an angel fell from heaven.

He was smiling. And he knew he would no longer be Aziraphale, but that didn’t bother him anymore.

Would he be reborn as a son of Edeniel? Or its mate? Or a frendenemy, like in a past life? Who knows. On the new Earth, leyends would tell of a snake like Ketzalcoalt, who was first on land like Adam and Eve, and cunning like brother rabbit, and many leyends would speak of its companion, who, in some stories was brother, in others lover or parent, in other versions it would share its joy and compensate for its mischief, kind of like jin and jan… and still are thogether to our days.

 

*I once saw a baby snake yawning. I didn’t know they could do that… I like animals, but snakes are not my favourite… and yet it was the cutest thing ever!  
**Kind of like the wings of an ikran, form the movie avatar… (yeah, yeah, not originla, love it or hate it…) also, mostly like the “flysnake” one on my page of deviantart.   
***Both  
****He didn’t want to cringe in pain every time he called the poor thing… or saw it.  
*****I descrive it as a mighty push, becouse it is difficult to descrive the strugle of two unmaterial and great beings. Think it was something casual and agresive: like one dog barking to another not so seriously, not knowing that the other is protecting its baby, and suddenly bites him. Aziraphale’s aura had felt invaded in an ofensive way and atacked the other’s with an acid like wave.  
******Edeniel had liked playing like it lived on earth: chasing, spying and hunting nonexistent beings, collecting fruits for the winter that never came, litting an invisible fire all on its own…going to buy at the store and getting angry for stupid things or driving carelessly… (Aziraphale had had great concerns abouth this kid)


End file.
